I’ve held a BIG dream to gather a community of women to support each other in exploring our inner landscape with creativity for so long… and now that I’m getting closer to realizing this dream, I’m feeling sick to my stomach.

So much fear and worry and excitement has been bubbling up, I can hardly bare it.

I’ve been finding myself getting lost in thoughts, worrying about details that don’t really matter, worrying about whether people will want to join me, worrying that others are already building communities, worrying that my dream will fail…

Noticing this pattern, I started searching everywhere for help or tools or something to guide me in moving past all this to get back to focusing on what really mattered – taking steps to get me closer to realizing this dream of mine.

I’ve been fumbling for months; muddling through the fear and searching for answers, while still trying to get closer to my dream. That is, until today…

After sending out an OH SO SCARY, vulnerable email to a select few women, it hit me… I knew all along how to move past my fear and realize my dream. I’ve done it before. I could do it again.

And the answer is so much more simple than I had realized.

(And of course, this answer came from within, and not from my endless search for help. Oh how easy it is to forget that we have everything we need within! Sometimes we just need a simple reminder of the truth we have within us. Which is why I share my stories with you, and why I want to gather women to share even more stories.)

Anyway, back to the truth of moving past fear…

I realized that the answer was simple: Stay in the moment and take one tiny step at a time.

Simple. Right?

But it’s not so easy to remember when we’re caught up in fear, lost in our mind’s thinking. But when we finally remember… oh how powerful it is!

It’s the same technique I used to get myself across the country for my first scary trip alone. And it’s the same technique I teach in my class Roots to help others get past their creative blocks – to simply get present and focus on the one tiny step in front of us.

I like to think of my mind as a computer that can only think about the past or the future (which often generates fear, or uncertainty, or guilt, etc). But when we get present in the here and now, that’s the realm of the heart and our intuition. That’s where we’ll find the courage to move forward.

When traveling across the country alone, I was only able to get past my fear by telling myself to just focus on that next step: “Okay, all I have to do is pack my bag.” Then, “Okay, all I need to do is set my alarm for 6am.” Then, “All I need to do is get in the car.” Next, “All I need to do is drive to the airport.” And so on.

Putting hyper focus on the one tiny step in front of you… there’s no room to think about what might happen next. There’s no room for the fear to step in.

And when you have that level of focus and forward movement, there’s no telling what dreams you’re capable of accomplishing!

What one step are you willing to take next?

P.S. If you’re interested in learning more about my upcoming community, send me an email! I’ll only be opening it to a small group of women to become the founding members as we grow the space. Will you be one of them?

Something interesting happened yesterday… so many things came into alignment and clarity as I was searching for answers – and it all came through after a big frustration in my art journal.

For the past two weeks I’ve been working on paintings of body parts for Connie Solera’s #21embody challenge. At first, I used photos as a reference, making sure each piece accurately represented the body part I was focusing on in terms of line, shape, perspective, and shadow. (Perhaps this was my way of proving to myself that I still knew everything I learned back in art school.) As my series progressed, and I felt more confident in knowing I could do realistic work, I began to loosen up.

I stopped relying so heavily on reference photos, letting it be more playful than rigid. I started to move quicker and quicker with each piece… until yesterday, when I moved so quickly that I lost all control to create a recognizable image. I was so frustrated, not knowing why it wasn’t working and being angry that it wasn’t "good enough" – that I painted over it with white.

Later, as I was reflecting about the classes I teach and the community I’ve been dreaming up (more on that soon!!), I realized that much of my work in this world is all about tipping scales into the opposite extreme, so that it may bounce back and find balance. And it came as such an "Ah Ha!" moment when I saw that this is what had happened in my art journal – it was just me tipping another scale. I had to see where too much was too much. Where the balance between creating something recognizable and letting it be a free expression becomes unstable.

Creativity always has a way of awakening me to deeper truths. It’s always a mirror for what I need to see or learn. So it shouldn’t have been a surprise that what I was working on in "real life" would show up in my journal. And so, instead of starting over or trying again, I decided to write "Play with the Balance" over the top to help me remember this lesson.

This idea of tipping the scale to find a balance can be seen and used in so many areas of our lives. (Perhaps unintentional tipping could be called “going overboard” or “hitting rock bottom”?)

When something doesn’t feel in alignment, perhaps you’re tipped too far in one direction and it’s time to explore that duality.

For example, I have come to the realization that my class Creative Soul Roots is all about tipping the scale of perfectionism all the way over to messy play. We shift our focus from the inner critical thoughts, toward our wise intuitive voice. We let loose and make big messes to break through the barriers that hold us back in our journals, in creativity, and in life. And it’s not that playing and making a mess is necessarily the end goal overall – it’s just a catalyst to move out of perfectionism and stuckness, in order to find our balance. We use the mess as a way to experience what it’s like on the other side.

There are two sides to everything. Life is full of dualities: day/night, waking/sleeping, black/white, sorrow/joy, male/female, past/future, ocean/shore, work/play, movement/stillness, all/nothing, life/death… and one cannot exist without the other. We cannot know easy without first knowing hard. We cannot honor beauty without the ugly. We cannot appreciate our joy without knowing the depths of our pain.

The dualities of life can be shifted heavily to one side, or we can find a rhythm to allow both to exist in harmony. We are both light and dark. We are both tender and fierce. We are both fearful and courageous.

If you’re working to shift something in your life, what would the opposite extreme be?

(Of course, it’s not always safe to actually act out these extremes, but it gets your mind thinking if you explore that idea in your journal!)

I’ve been feeling so inspired these last few days, so I thought I’d share the love!

This week was the start of my class Roots, in which I’m the teacher AND the student! (Registration for this journey is now closed, but keep an eye out for early registration for our next journey in Sept!) I love playing along with this class, because it’s like a total reset on my practice as we remember how to play and reconnect with our creative spirit.

The first week is always dedicated to building sacred containers – finding the time, creating our space, and getting our journals ready… so I’ve been cleaning up my art studio and decided to purchase a cozy chair and a rug to warm up the space. (Keep a watch out on Facebook or Instagram, I’ll be sure to post a photo when I finish the space!)

It’s amazing how much our environment affects our creativity! What can you do to create an inviting, dedicated space to create in?

I’ve also been experimenting with color alongside my friend Mixy Gregory and her community in her year-long program TWELVTY. Each month we’re exploring a different color, and challenging ourselves to only use that color in our art. The thing that got me the most excited and inspired was the thought of having a full rainbow journal at the end of the journey! But as I dove into my first experiment with only using the color yellow, I discovered that it’s quite a challenge, and it really stretches your creative muscles!

Limiting yourself in some way often stretches your creativity! How can you challenge yourself? Perhaps try using only one or two colors. Or join us in Twelvty to explore the rainbow!

If you’d like to join me in Twelvty to learn more about color and explore them with us for a full year, you can SIGN UP HERE! Class has already begun, but Mixy has set up a special page for you to jump in with us! We start playing with green this month!

I’m also excited about Connie Solera’s free painting challenge to explore our bodies with art. Each day starting March 6th we explore a certain body part in whatever medium you choose. I think this is going to be so insightful and powerful, not to mention FUN!

Join in on the challenge by following the prompts on the image here, then share and get inspired with the hashtag #21embody!

If exploring your body with creativity sounds intriguing, I urge to you to also check out the next installment of 21Secrets: emBODY! (If you’ve never heard of 21Secrets, it’s a yearly collaborative workshop hosted by Connie, presented by 21 artists. It’s always been an amazing experience every time I join in!)

Usually I spill my heart out in my emails, and leave only the well thought out actionable posts for my blog. Today, in my felt need to break my silence, I’d like to share publicly my recent email:

Title: I Don’t Like This…

This letter could go a number of different directions – there are many things I could say I don’t like right now. Especially considering all the things that have been running throughout the news.

About that… There’s definitely a fire brewing in my belly and a build up of emotions that I wish I could just rid myself of. I have a long history of being good at shutting down. I hide. I get quiet. I distract myself. But I don’t want to do that anymore. I’ve worked too hard to learn how to open up, to be more brave, to share myself. So I’m starting to feel this huge build up, feeling the need to say or act or DO something.

On the other hand, I don’t want my business to be a place for political discussions. What I’m here to do reaches far wider than any one group of people with one certain belief. The specific details behind our beliefs or passions are not what unifies us here in this space, it’s the fact that we’re all human. That’s what I want to focus on when sharing through these emails or on my blog or on social media.

So yeah… no, I’m not here to complain about what’s happening out there. And I hope my lack of commentary or leadership in the online world regarding political or worldly news doesn’t come off as not caring, because I do – deeply.

I don’t consider myself a leader, or an activist, or even someone who’s good with words. I consider myself a gatherer and a lover. I love you, no matter what you believe, or do, or say (or don’t). And I do want my work to make an impact on the world, but perhaps not in such an outwardly way as others do. I want to guide people to love themselves, in turn loving more of each other. I want to inspire stronger communities. I want to gather people together. And THAT is what I want to be talking about.

But right now I feel lost, and silenced. I feel backed up. It’s like the way I get stuck in my art journal (especially my more diary-like ones) where I hold myself back from jumping in with what I’m passionate or inspired about now, because I want to go back and record what it was that happened before that. But of course the passion there has already moved on, which throws me into a cycle of never fully being in the moment, in the passion.

What I’m trying to say, is that I feel pressure on myself to talk about creativity, and about my upcoming class Creative Soul Roots because I committed to teaching it again this spring. (And I am still excited to do so – we start Feb 27th!) At the same time, I’m inspired and feel moved to finally put into motion my bigger picture project that I’ve been brewing on for over two years now – a private community. And at the same, same time… I also feel immobilized by my overwhelming emotions regarding all that is happening around me.

I’m a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts and emotions. As I’m sure many of us, especially in the United States, are right now.

I began this letter as a way to communicate through my silence. I began it as a way to fight back the urge to shut down. I began it as a way to let you know my expectations for my communication with you in these next few months. But in my struggle to clearly articulate what is going on in my head, I can see now that nothing is certain. And that’s okay.

I do still plan on teaching Roots next month, that won’t change. But this will probably be the last time I offer it in the beginning of the year. I realize now that this time calls for more flow and spontaneity from me, as I’m not liking the forced start for action so early on.

But as far as my blog or emails or other communication goes… I don’t know. I’m struggling between wanting to shout out so many things and being quiet. I have so much to say, but too little words. I’m struggling between wanting to DO so much, but not knowing what to do or how to do it.

…I suppose that means it’s a good time for art making.

For now, I will remain in my quietness. For now, I will spill my emotions into my journal. For now, I will practice staying open in the safeness of my home and trusted circles. For now, I will start small with the intention to keep growing.

After all, BIG change is possible with small steps – (as I was so timely reminded of by my dear friend Mindy Tsonas, see below.)

With all my love,

P.S. In the midst of writing and re-writing this email, Mindy reached out with her offering of a week long adventure in art & love as activism – Tiny Revolutions. Timing could not have been better. Starting Feb 12th, she says we’ll write, paint, tell stories and get messy, all for the purpose of positive change. We will play in the questions of who we are to get clear on our most powerful mission for change, in our own life and out in the world. Sounds exactly what I’m needing right now. What’s even more amazing, is that in the interest of opening up this experience to all who wish to join, there’s three equally valuable ways to participate: {$5} You Belong Scholarship, {$19} Fire Starter, and {$39} Love Maker. So if you’re feeling like me, a little lost in what to do, I hope you join us for this week of play and exploration for clarity to take action, no matter how large or small. Find out more HERE.

As we continue our journey of exploring the elements and shift into FIRE, let’s take a moment to call it into our lives, bring awareness to our passions, and reconnect with the fiery Soul within.

Feel the warm sun shining upon you.

Feel the passion bubbling up inside you as you think of something or someone you love.

From now until April, keep your imagination active as you filter your life through the lens of FIRE. How does fire show up in your life physically? How do the qualities of fire show up in your life metaphorically? How can you use fire to help you in your day-to-day? (For example, fire can be the perfect energy to help you take inspired action, or to transform something in your life.)

As we begin to notice fire in our lives, we’ll not only gain a deeper understanding of the world around us, but we’ll also start to gain a deeper understanding of who we are.

Using FIRE as our lens through which we see our lives, we’ll begin to see things in a way we may not have otherwise, gaining clarity on all aspects of our BEing.

To help us hold this lens in place, it’s helpful to place reminders around our spaces and infuse our activities with fire. Here are some ideas you can use:

#1. Journal or Ponder About Fire – Taking some time to reflect on what you already know about the element of fire is a powerful way to begin our journey together with intention and trust in your own inner knowing. Journal, write, paint, doodle, or think about fire and how it plays a role in your life. Here are some prompts to get you started:

What are some words you would use to describe fire?

What symbols, lines, forms, or imagery do you associate with fire?

How are you a natural expression of fire?

What is your personal relationship with fire?

What gets you excited or passionate? How you can you connect with that feeling more this month?

#2. Create a Pinterest Board – Pinterest is full of inspiring fire images, and a perfect place to create dream boards, energy boards, and more. Create a board full of fiery images that inspire you to take action, get cozy, or to reconnect with yourself. To get started, take a peek at my Fire Inspiration board HERE.

#3. Update Your Desktop and Mobile Backgrounds – Changing up my desktop and mobile background images is one of my favorite ways to remind me of a feeling, mood, or energy I aim to embody that day/week/month. What side of fire do you want to embody this week or this month? Do you want to call in passion? Or perhaps a sense of warmth and solitude? Keep this thought in mind as you search for an image that reminds you of this feeling. Images are powerful in evoking certain feelings and responses in us!

Here are a few of my favorites (click on the image to be taken to the original source for download):

#4. Infuse Your Creative Practice – Whether you art journal, create mandalas, draw, paint, dance, or whatever… infuse it with the energy of fire. Perhaps even use some charcoal!

#5. Create an Altar – Creating a space to celebrate fire is a beautiful way to honor the element and to remind you of its presence throughout your day. Simply gather a few things that remind you of fire and display them together in a space that you’ll see during your day. Perhaps your nightstand? Or a shelf next to your desk? Some items you might consider adding to your altar are: candles, incense, crystals, yellow or orange items, photographs, etc.

Some other ideas might be: sit quietly and watch a flame dance, write down something you want to release in your life then burn it, let yourself wildly dance, go on a Soul Date, find ways to reconnect with yourself, clear space in your home, create, take action on something you’ve been meaning to do, close your eyes and feel the warmth of the sun on your face, follow me on Instagram, read my FIRE E-Book, explore a new passion or hobby…

What other ideas do you have? Which of these will you try? Share in the comments below!

For the last few weeks I was feeling overwhelmed, overworked, uninspired… all my focus was on meeting deadlines, checking things off my to-do list, getting things done. I was nearing burn out. Struggling to find joy in my day. And in the midst of it all, I didn’t know what was wrong. I just new I was feeling like crap. Until, this came in the mail…

My first print copy of my upcoming journal series. (Yay!!) It reminded me of all that I had forgotten… to breathe. to pause. to check in. to come back home to myself in the present moment and see the beauty of now.

Even though my whole livelihood is centered around reconnecting with your self, I still often forget when busyness settles in. Between being a mother to three young kids, nurturing the relationship with my husband, running a business, laundry and keeping the home clean, cooking, preparing for the holidays, and whatever else I’m forgetting that’s on my to-do list, how can one not loose their way sometimes and forget to make time for themselves? This modern world doesn’t leave much room for that.

But it’s something I’ve been working hard towards for the last couple years. I’ve learned that making time for myself, if even just 5 minutes a day, is not only rejuvenating, but it’s literally ESSENTIAL. Else I face burn out and eventually depression.

But I forget.

Often.

That’s why I continue to write about it. That’s why I create e-courses that I fully participate in alongside my students. That’s why I create interactive books that I enjoy myself. That’s why I create cozy nooks in my home that invite me to pause. That’s why I often go back and re-read my own blog (especially this post in particular). That’s why I’ve been dreaming up a women’s circle for support in remembering ourselves. And that’s why I felt the need to bring this new Soul Journal series to life for the new year – I need tangible reminders. And I’m betting you do too sometimes.

Life is busy. Life is full. Let’s remember to enjoy it. To slow down and take it all in. Will you take a deep breath with me now? (Yes, right now. Do it!) Feel the air moving into your body, nourishing you. Notice yourself. You are a magnificent, beautiful creature (whether you believe that now or not!).

And if you’re like me, and feeling the need for an inspiring daily practice to check in and remember what you already know about yourself, you may just fall in love with this Soul Journal as much as I have. It should be available next week on Amazon!

But for now, why not try setting a reminder on your phone to take three deep breaths every afternoon. Or set up a cozy corner of your home that will invite you to sit and pause every so often. Or start a practice to free-write every morning. Or, use your shower time to really get present and be with yourself.

How can you fit in a few moments of reconnection in your day? Choose it. Do it. And set reminders for when you forget.

I’m sure you’ve felt by now that learning art techniques simply isn’t all there is to authentically express yourself creatively. There’s something else… something even more important than knowing what colors work well together or how to balance a composition.

If you want to discover your own style, if you want to freely express yourself, if you want to live your best life – then it needs to come from your true self, from your soul. Not from your mind, or your fears, or your habitual thoughts.

So the key to authentic expression, is not to learn new techniques or find the perfect supply… it’s to practice shifting out of this left-brain head space, and into your heart space.

The space where your true, infinitely creative, self can take the lead. This is where your soul speaks to you through intuition. This is where you’ll hear the truth behind those passing critical thoughts. This is where you’ll find your ultimate inspiration. This is where TRUE, authentic expression springs forth.

In my guided e-course, Creative Soul Roots, we spend 7 weeks exploring this space where our soul resides, and practicing the art of being present, noticing and moving past our critical thoughts, and listening to our intuition. We dive deep into this process with creative exercises and emerge with a greater understanding of our internal landscape, a stronger relationship with ourselves, and a journaling practice that will ultimately change the way we live our lives.

If you’re ready to get past the struggles and critical thoughts, and into the space of free expression, then I invite you to join us. Our journey begins in just a few short days! CLICK HERE to learn more and sign up.

If now is simply not the right time to dive deep into this process, then that’s okay too. I have five simple tips to help you get started right now:

#1. Develop a Ritual – Rituals are a beautiful (and fun!) way to awaken your creative, intuitive side before diving into your journal. By practicing a simple activity with intention like lighting candles, putting on an apron, doing some simple stretches, or simply setting up your space, you’re signaling to your brain that it’s time to shift gears.

#2. Start with Free-Writing – Sitting down to write freely without censoring yourself is a great way to not only let out all the mind-chatter and junk you have cooped up in that mind, but it’s also a great way to awaken your intuition. Once you get out all that heaviness, a clear channel is then opened up for your intuition to come through and start spilling out onto the page.

#3. Move Your Body – Your intuition can only speak to you in the here and now. Body movement can be your ticket to the present moment, as opposed to being stuck in those thoughts of what might happen, or what should happen. Start with a few simple stretches, and/or stand up with your journal on an easel to get your whole body involved in the creating!

#4. Entice Your Senses – Using your senses is another fun way to get yourself in the present moment, where you’ll be able to more clearly hear your intuition. Bring in some flowers, drink a glass of wine or a cup of tea, taste some chocolate, focus on the feeling of your brush in your hand, use your fingers to move the paint around, turn up the music, marvel at the colors before you! What else can you use to engage your sense of touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste?

#5. Invoke Play & Curiosity – If you’re stuck in trying to perfect a technique, or create a certain outcome, there’s no room for your soul to shine through. Let all of that go, open up to being vulnerable with not knowing, and play with curiosity! Let yourself be a kid again, simply play with the paints. Get curious: “..what happens if I try this?” Surrender your need to predict or control the outcome and explore with what is right here in the present moment.

Practice these, and you’ll be sure to open up new doorways of expression!

As we continue our journey of exploring the elements and shift into EARTH, let’s take a moment to call it into our lives, notice it around us, and come back home to the awareness of our bodies and the support beneath our feet.

Feel the solid ground beneath you.

Allow yourself to deeply notice the senses within your body and all that is around you.

From now until December, keep your senses focused on the earth around you. Taste it, feel it, listen to it move. Keep your imagination active as you filter your life through the lens of EARTH. How does earth show up in your life physically? How do the qualities of earth show up in your life metaphorically? How can you use earth to help you in your day-to-day? (For example, when you feel overwhelmed or flighty, you can use earth to help ground you in the present moment.)

As we begin to notice earth in our lives, we’ll not only gain a deeper understanding of the world around us, but we’ll also start to gain a deeper understanding of who we are.

Using EARTH as our lens through which we see our lives, we’ll begin to see things in a way we may not have otherwise, gaining clarity on all aspects of our BEing.

To help us hold this lens in place, it’s helpful to place reminders around our spaces and infuse our activities with earth. Here are some ideas you can use:

#1. Journal or Ponder About Earth – Taking some time to reflect on what you already know about the element of earth is a powerful way to begin our journey together with intention and trust in your own inner knowing. Journal, write, paint, doodle, or think about earth and how it plays a role in your life. Here are some prompts to get you started:

What are some words you would use to describe earth?

What symbols, lines, forms, or imagery do you associate with earth?

How are you a natural expression of earth?

What is your personal relationship with the earth? What do you know about the environment where you live?

Where do you need more support in your life? How can you create it during our exploration of earth?

#2. Create a Pinterest Board – Pinterest is full of inspiring earth and nature images, and a perfect place to create dream boards, energy boards, and more. Create a board full of earthy images that inspire you to connect with the earth around you. To get started, take a peek at my Earth Inspiration board HERE.

#3. Update Your Desktop and Mobile Backgrounds – Changing up my desktop and mobile background images is one of my favorite ways to remind me of a feeling, mood, or energy I aim to embody that day/week/month. What side of earth do you want to embody this week or this month? Do you want to call in the mystery of deep, darks forests? Or perhaps a sense of solid foundations and support with rocks or roots? Or the delicate beauty and wonderment of flowers? Keep this thought in mind as you search for an image that reminds you of this feeling. Images are powerful in evoking certain feelings and responses in us!

Here are a few of my favorites (click on the image to be taken to the original source for download):

#4. Infuse Your Creative Practice – Whether you art journal, create mandalas, draw, paint, dance, or whatever… infuse it with the energy of earth. Perhaps even use the earth around you to create! Or maybe you take some time to learn a new technique or gain a more solid foundation in a new medium. (PS If you’re interested in my process of Creative Soul Expression, my free earth e-book offers the foundational ideas to get you started!)

#5. Create an Altar – Creating a space to celebrate earth is a beautiful way to honor the element and to remind you of its presence throughout your day. Simply gather a few things that remind you of earth and display them together in a space that you’ll see during your day. Perhaps your nightstand? Or a shelf next to your desk? Some items you might consider adding to your altar are: rocks, roots, crystals, leaves, green or brown items, plants, photographs, etc.

#6. Eat More Raw Food – What kind of raw earthy foods can you bring more of into your diet? Think nuts, berries, leaves, vegetables, fruits… Connect with the earth through its bounty, savor the flavors with all your senses!

Some other ideas might be: go for a walk, take a moment to sit and notice your surroundings with all of your senses, try new foods, find support or ask for help, create a mandala with sticks and stones, follow me on Instagram, read my EARTH E-Book, dig your toes in the sand, hug a tree…

What other ideas do you have? Which of these will you try? Share in the comments below!

Lately, I find myself getting frustrated more. Feeling overwhelmed by the quickness of life and the constant moving. As I put my phone down, I feel disgusted by how much time it has just sucked from my life and the emptiness I feel. I promptly pick it up again. But this time, not to check another app, but to delete them. Goodbye Facebook. You’ve never done much for me anyway.

Ahh that feels good. What else can I simplify in my life?

This question rolls around in my mind for days as I navigate my daily life… almost to the point of complicating it more. Should I wake up earlier in the morning? How can I change my work projects to simplify them? What else can I change in my life?

As the weekend arrives, we gather up our towels and supplies to head to the beach. But it ends up not being so simple. The kids aren’t listening. Each task becomes a chore. We have three kids plus one friend. The house becomes a whirlwind of confusion. Get your bathing suit on! No, not outside! Where did your sister go again? Wait, your shoes! Where are your shoes!? Stop playing, I thought we were leaving!?

By the time we make it to the beach, my head is pounding. Why does everything seem to be so difficult? Is it just my expectations? The way I think about things? How can I simplify this? Am I thinking too much? Get over here, I’m trying to put sunscreen on you!

Ugh, I need some actual quiet time. I stand up, tell hubby I’m leaving, and off I go. The beach is busy today, but I know if I keep walking, it becomes quieter. I start my trek in search of silence, still pondering ways I can simplify my life.

Can I really get up earlier than the kids? I’m always so tired. I’d have to go to bed way earlier. But then I lose out on my nightly quiet time. Which doesn’t seem to be much these summer days. That article says you should do the most important thing first thing in the morning. Maybe I should try. I should meditate. Yoga, I’d like to do yoga. I need more exercise. Man, I should really eat healthier too. Morning smoothies sound good. How hard can it be? I haven’t done much art lately. I can never find alone time to actually do anything. Creating with my kids is hard. I always end up helping them instead of being able to focus on my own art. Just one more year. One more year and they’ll all be in school. I can wait. How can I simplify my creating? I guess just continue in my sketchbook. That’s quick and easy. But not so satisfying as paint. Oh how I miss paint. Ouch! That rock was sharp.

I pause to look around. Not a person in sight. The sandy beach gives way to thousands of rocks. I breathe in the warm air. Listen to the waves hitting the earth. Yes. This. This is what I needed. I start to move slower, balancing on the larger rocks so I don’t hurt my bare feet. With arms stretched wide, and a smile across my face, my mind calms with each careful step I take.

I stop when I could go no further. My feet are sore. But it feels so good. I rest myself on a nearby boulder and look out over the sea of rocks, enjoying the absence of the everyday bustling noise. My eye catches an odd shaped rock. I meander over to pick it up. It looks almost like a moon. Or perhaps a croissant. No, not a croissant. It feels sacred.

It feels warm in my hand, like it’s radiating love, or some mystical energy I yet to understand. It feels wrong to toss it back into the sea of rocks. To be lost again. Suddenly I know what I must do. Visions of balancing rocks dance through my memory as I rummage around looking for just the right rocks to hold this sacred piece of earth.

My mind and body become completely engrossed in turning the rocks this way and that, finding just the right weight and balance to make them stand upon each other. When three are in position, I gently pick up the sacred piece and carefully place it on top. It stays without fiddling. It rests upon those rocks like it it knew it was meant to be there. I breathe out a long exhale, realizing I’ve been holding it.

Breathing deeply in again, my body automatically turns to climb down the boulder to gather more rocks. I know just what I’m looking for… Round ones. With somewhat flat sides. Interesting color. Check. I grab as many as I can carry and head back up.

The edge of urgency is gone as I slip into a quiet, playful trance turning the rocks until they fit perfectly. And somehow, each rock I’ve chosen finds its place.

As I climb back down for yet another arm load, I realize… this is simplicity. Me. The earth. The quiet.

This is all I need to bring balance into my life.

Simple as that.

Later, as I slowly made my way back to my family, I felt like I had a treasure in my pocket. A secret to hide, or maybe to share. A few photographs and my memories of this day. Of the realization that I don’t need traditional meditation, or yoga, or smoothies, or hours of alone time to find peace and balance in my life.

All I need is me,

and the earth,

and a few deep breaths.

Psst! Our exploration in Earth is coming soon! Be sure you’re signed up for my mailing list to get the free Earth E-book which will be released on Sept 6th 2016. You can find AIR Here and WATER Here!

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About Kristal

Kristal is a creative life coach who helps women reclaim their creative magic, reconnect with their Soul, and realize their innate magnificence so they can lead a more authentic, fulfilling life. Click here to read more...